Great Horned Owl (Hoot Owl, Tiger Owl)

The Great Horned Owl is a powerful, heavily built apex nocturnal predator known for its prominent ear tufts, piercing yellow eyes, and deep resonant hooting calls. It is a supreme hunter of the night with a massive global range and fierce disposition.

Rich earthy tones featuring complex dark brown and black barring over a mottled grey, buff, and white background, providing exceptional cryptic camouflage.

Pennaceous at the tip with a soft, plumulaceous base; features velvety, modified barbules along the edges that create a silent-flight fringe, and a prominent fluffy downy base.

Extremely soft, velvety, and matte in texture with no gloss, highly specialized to absorb sound and prevent aerodynamic noise during flight.

Complex dark brown and buff barring, velvety matte texture for silent flight, and a distinctively large, fluffy semiplume base.

Incredibly adaptable, found in deciduous and evergreen forests, deserts, swamps, tundra, scrublands, and urban or agricultural areas.

Widespread throughout North America, Central America, and South America, ranging from the subarctic down to the tip of Argentina.

Acts as a top nocturnal apex predator helping to control rodent, rabbit, and small carnivore populations, serving as a key indicator of healthy woodland ecosystems.

Barred Owl (Strix varia) and Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus), distinguished by different barring patterns and lighter or greyer overall coloration.

Great Horned Owls can exert up to 500 pounds of pressure per square inch in their talons, comparable to the bite force of a large dog, and they are primary users of abandoned nests built by other large birds.

Good condition, showing minor wear along the frayed outer edges of the vane but with a strong, intact central rachis.